When I realized that I wanted to go back to school, I stopped to think about what I would need to do. It had been years since I cracked open a textbook, much less learned something new on a computer. However, I wanted to succeed, so I started to learn more about technology. I spent hours brushing up on my computer troubleshooting skills and when I was done, I felt a little more prepared. After I started school, I learned even more. I made this blog to teach other people a little about technology, so that you can keep up with your peers.
Cloud computing is taking the world by storm. Easily scalable and customizable design allows your business to take advantage of the same resources as a much larger company. However, because this technology is remote, you need to ensure that your employees have consistently quick access to your cloud services.
Keep the Network Hardware in the Office Up To Date
Previously, your internet connection was only used for email and maybe for some less scrupulous employees to check their Facebook accounts. Now, while high quality cloud services will allow limited offline function, core parts of your business will only be available online.
This means that your internal network hardware and the quality of your internet connection is now critical. If your network hardware is old or incorrectly configured. it will bottleneck your employees. Even if their computers have plenty of power, insufficient network bandwidth will force them to work at a snail's pace.
If your network hardware is up to date, but your connection keeps dropping or information is slow to load, it is time to have a conversation with your internet service provider. While each bit of information passed back and forth is tiny, the combined force of all your employees communicating with the cloud servers will add up quickly. It is entirely possible that you will have to increase your bandwidth allotment from your ISP.
Invest in the Technology That Will Allow Employees to Access Your Services From Anywhere
One of the distinct advantages of cloud software is that it is accessible from anywhere in the world. While there are certainly benefits to having all your employees in a single physical location, this is no longer your only option. In addition, by utilizing cloud services, your employees will be able to take care of their assigned duties even when on-site with a client or dealing with a sick child.
In order to ensure your employees have access to the tools they need, you will have to provide them with access systems that are both powerful enough to handle the connection and portable. For this reason, businesses are investing in tablets and smart phones as opposed to desktops. Since most cloud applications only require a browser to access, these devices are sufficient to give your employees access to your cloud services.
Invest in Improvements to Your Cloud Software and Hardware
Part of the allure of cloud services is that you are not responsible for installing or maintaining hardware. However, you still have to decide what portion of the host's resources you want to rent. You may also have a few feature requests that the developers at the service have not implemented yet.
Just like you need to invest in an internet connection that is large enough to handle the load, you need to invest in a plan with your cloud service provider that will keep things running smoothly on their end. Just because you don't have to manage the hardware directly, it doesn't mean that you don't have to pay for the hardware you need, albeit indirectly.
If there is some customization you desperately need, you may wish to have the developers give you a quote on making the modifications. The cost can be somewhat mitigated by the fact that other clients may want the same modifications, so be prepared to do some negotiation on price. If the request is something that would be nice, but you don't need right away, you can instead go through the normal support channels, or go to websites, and submit a feature request. If the request is popular enough, it is in the service's best interest to invest in making the modifications.
Moving parts of your business to the cloud is a big decision. There are security issues and cost analysis reports to handle. In the flurry to move with the times, it can be difficult to remember that there are some simple investments you need to make to ensure your employees are able to connect with your new cloud services.
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